Our Fellows

fellows there, and also Mr. Todd and Mr. Dic

t the matter was taken up again when we arrived, and after that the m

ess, not to say indifference, with which father and his

to hold the thief; but the men shook their heads and said they thought that would

r eyes open and our mouths closed, and perhaps in

lemen took their leave, and

er, and that’s the reason I don’t believe in waitin’ fur things to ‘turn up.’ I’ll tell you what we’ll do, fellers. If the men won’t help us,

e suited me better, or the rest of the fellows either,

s, and prepared to go to sleep. We did sleep, but not long. There was more

es; how our fellows rushed out of the house, and, after bustling about for a while in a state of intense excitement, getting in every body’s way, and accomplishing nothing, stood quietly by my father’s side, and saw twelve thousand dolla

ard. I ran to the window, and saw several mounted men waiting before the door. They were all booted and spurr

her, and presently he came out of the house, armed like the others, sprang int

pulling, succeeded in getting them out of bed and to the window, just in time to catch

s the matter,” exclaimed Sand

n,” replied Duke, fairly jumping into his trowsers. “That’s what’s u

I’d give something to know what el

ken father and his companions off in so great a hurry, while the rest of us brought out the guns, and began loading them with hands that trembled violent

said Herbert, “and if I meet the fellow who set

t him?” asked Duke, spilling a charg

uilty, won’t he? Wel

ssed to Mark, who just then

rcely speak plainly, “and that shows that it was set on fire by the Indians. It was done by some o

hat Mark’s idea of the ma

held a grudge against father for more than a year, and we had been expecting something of this k

rouble with nearly every one in the settlement, the planters had suddenly taken it into their heads that they

the cane-brakes,” panted Mark. “Hurry up, fellows, or we sh

e all s

s and riding-whip. “Say, boys, wouldn’t it be a glorious thing for us if we cou

sting of? Only let us have the opportunit

e Indians. Most likely they were encamped on De

ete there, four of us would cover him with our guns; Sandy, being the largest and strongest in the party, would dis

g on, and if they pursued us, or attempted to rescue Pete,

father and all the rest of the planters be

n as we were ready for the start, slung our guns over our sh

tchen we

perfectly. She gave Mark and me all the privileges we deserved, and could not have sympathized with

ile there was any thing exciting in prospect, and when we entere

id she, “don’t

am,” we

ne another and frowned fiercely. “What could five boys like you do with a lot of savage half-breeds? Find

nt those Indians on our own hook? We hadn’t lisped a word of it to her;

ng for us (the hostler had brought out mother’s horse for me to ride), and in less time than it takes to

heir heads and snorting as if they enjoyed the rapid motion as much as we did, while we strained our eyes down th

ahead of us, and finally, after a ride of an hour and a half, we drew rein on t

s all around the lake, and the only living things we could see wer

e and then Duke led us down a bridle-pa

ht we should be likely to find father and his party, we stopped on the banks of a b

Sandy, suddenly. “It’s hard work ridin’ or talkin’ on an e

t think of it before. If we were at the lake now, it wou

if you and Sandy will go out and shoot some, the rest of us will build a fire and get every thing

in the woods as Mark used to serve it up. He could not cook at all in a house over a stove; but take him out in the cane-brakes, and give him

ng. An ear of green corn, fresh pulled from the field, and roasted in the shuck under his supervision, and served up on a pie

he season for roasting-ears; but, as Duke had said, the squirrels were plenty, and I grew hun

ing our horses of the saddles and tying the animals to the trees near the place where we intended to mak

re I had gone a hundred yards from the camp, b

ndy’s gun, and as he never missed his mark, I

while I was hurrying forward to secure it, an incident

nly wounded, started to climb the tree. I ran around after him,

own around me, my feet were tripped up, and in an instant more I was l

I looked up into the dark, scowling face that was b

we were looking for Pete, he had all the while been looking for 119u

Our fellows would have appeared as quickly as their horses could have brought them, and one glance at the double-barrels pointed straight at his head, would, I am confident, have driven away t

nd in a second more he had removed the belt which conta

strong grasp, and, as soon as I

stand punishment for; and if you know when you are well off

, in his broken English, which I could not imitate

e situation. I was to be punished for something Mark had done; for

with me for more than a year, and if he had not learned in that time to tell Mark a

y friends to get me out of this disagreeable scrape. My only hope was that they would become alarmed at m

looking half-breed, whose name was Jake, glided up at this moment, and, without saying a word, seized me by one arm, while Pete took

ly the blast of a hunting-horn—Duke’s horn, I could have told it among a thous

ete and his comp

into the canoe, and looked up the bayou in the direction from which the report sounded,

commotion among the cane on the opposite bank of the bayou, and presently, to my utter amazement, I saw—what do you suppose? It was so

clasped my hands above my head, a

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